Blueshade's Suffering
Prologue Stormstrike crouched down low and slowly padded towards the nursery. He poked his head into the entrance. His green eyes scanned every corner. He grinned when he saw the den was empty - except for Frecklefern's new litter. The three kits were sleeping soundly. Perfect, Stormstrike thought, grinning wildly. Frecklefern must be at the dirtplace. He quietly padded towards the kits. They had just been born three days ago, but Frecklefern had already named them; they were Badgerkit, Archkit, and Brightkit. He picked up the littlest kit, Brightkit, in his mouth. She mewed softly, but made no attempt to escape Stormstrike's jaws. Stupid furball! he thought. She can't tell me apart from Frecklefern! Stormstrike managed to get Archkit in his mouth. With his paws, he put Badgerkit, the biggest kit, on his back. Extending his claws, he ripped a fox-sized hole in the nursery's bramble wall, and jumped through it, landing outside of FinchClan's camp. He padded along for a while, and stopped at the river. He sat down and set the three kits down between his front legs. He wished he could hear Frecklefern's yowl of rage and probably terror as she walked back into the nursery to find her kits gone. But he did hear her crashing through the undergrowth of the forest as she followed his scent trail. When Frecklefern darted into sight, he extended his long front claws and put them on the kits' necks. "If you take one more step," Stormstrike snarled, "you know what will happen to your precious kits." Frecklefern flattened her brown ears. "Stormstrike, what do you have against these kits?" Frecklefern hissed. "I know who their father is. Tell me, Frecklefern, why would you mate with a filthy CreekClan cat? These kits are halfclan!" Stormstrike spat out the word like it was a piece of freshkill he didn't want. "Stormstrike, that's what this is about?" Frecklefern took one step closer. "Take your anger out on me. Don't hurt the kits." Stormstrike sliced one kit's throat. "Sorry, you stepped forward." "Archkit!" Frecklefern screamed. Stormstrike grinned and threw the body into the river. Frecklefern hissed. "You monster! I swear, I'm going to-" She gasped as Stormstrike threw one kit into the air and, before it hit the ground, slapped it so it slammed into a tree. There was a sickening crack as Badgerkit's neck broke, and the lifeless body fell to the ground. Frecklefern screamed and leaped at Stormstrike, but he easily dodged the attack. As Frecklefern landed, he leaped on top of her, pinning her down on her belly so she couldn't attack. "You are a traitor to FinchClan, Frecklefern. Now it's time for you to pay for your crimes!" She let out a yowl as agony as he ripped open her back, which stopped as Stormstrike ripped her neck and the back of her head open as well. Red blood stained the grass around Frecklefern, and stained Stormstrike's paws. He glanced at the last kit, Brightkit. She mewed pitifully, and Stormstrike picked her up and tossed her in the river. He heard a crack; she had likely broken her paw. Stormstrike watched as the kit tried to hold onto a stone sticking out of the water, and eventually lost her grip and plunged under. Stormstrike smiled as Brightkit floated away. There will be no traitors and halfbloods in my clan! Chapter One Blue flinched as Buzzard tore his blood-stained claws through her blue-gray pelt. "And next time you'll hunt a mouse for me more quickly!" he yelled in her ear. Blue backed away from him. "You should be grateful!" he screamed again. "I saved you from drowning in that river. You were this close!" Buzzard raised his front paws and moved them very close to each other. Blue hissed at him, and immediately regretted it. She cried out in pain as Buzzard ripped open an old wound given to her by Flash, one of her foster siblings, that had just begun to heal. As Buzzard leaped at her to punish her for 'complaining', she backed away, and Buzzard hit the floor, groaning. Blue leaped on top of him and clawed his black ears with her good paw. "You complained," she told him. Buzzard growled and shook himself. Blue fell off of him and hit the ground with a thud. Buzzard raised his paw and hit her on the head. Blue felt sharp pain for a moment, then everything went black.